About

Human: noun
A member of the Homo sapiens species; a man, woman or child; a person.

Rights: noun
Things to which you are entitled or allowed; freedoms that are guaranteed.

Human Rights: noun
The rights you have simply because you are human.

If you were to ask people in the street, "What are human rights?" you would get many different answers. They would tell you the rights they know about, but very few people know all their rights.
As covered in the definitions above, a right is a freedom of some kind. It is something to which you are entitled by virtue of being human.

Human rights are based on the principle of respect for the individual. Their fundamental assumption is that each person is a moral and rational being who deserves to be treated with dignity. They are called human rights because they are universal. Whereas nations or specialized groups enjoy specific rights that apply only to them, human rights are the rights to which everyone is entitled—no matter who they are or where they live—simply because they are alive.
Yet many people, when asked to name their rights, will list only freedom of speech and belief and perhaps one or two others. There is no question these are important rights, but the full scope of human rights is very broad. They mean choice and opportunity. They mean the freedom to obtain a job, adopt a career, select a partner of one's choice and raise children. They include the right to travel widely and the right to work gainfully without harassment, abuse and threat of arbitrary dismissal. They even embrace the right to leisure.

A long time ago, human rights did not exist at all. Then the idea emerged that people should have certain freedoms. And that idea, in the wake of World War II, resulted finally in the document called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 30 rights to which all people are entitled.

United for Human Rights (UHR) assists and unites individuals, educators, organizations and governmental bodies to implement the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at local, regional, national and international levels. It was founded on the Declaration's 60th Anniversary in the face of continued worldwide abuses that violate the spirit and text of that charter. The Declaration, conceived by the United Nations, contains the 30 fundamental rights that together form the basis for a civilization where people can enjoy all freedoms to which they are entitled and nations can live in peace.

As one of UHR's primary functions is educative. The organization distributes informative and educational materials to increase public knowledge and bring about a full understanding of human rights. Further, UHR supports governmental and legislative measures that advance the full implementation of the Declaration.